The Pittsburgh Steelers have painted their end zones gold for their game against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. It marks the third straight year that the Steelers have brought back the Three Rivers Stadium-style gold end zones.
The Steelers have to wait until the end of the season to paint the end zones gold since they share the stadium with the Pitt Panthers.
The Steelers brought back the tradition for their game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas Eve when they retired Franco Harris’ No. 32 jersey. It also marked the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception.
The Steelers enshrined Jason Gildon, Willie Parker, Casey Hampton and Dick LeBeau in the Hall of Honor on Saturday night. They’ll also be honored at halftime of Sunday’s game.
The Steelers have not been swept by the Browns in a season series since 1988. The 32-year streak is the longest such streak in NFL history for division opponents, according to Dale Lolley of Steelers.com. The Browns were not around from 1996-1998 after owner Art Modell moved the franchise to Baltimore, so that’s why it’s 32 years instead of 35.
Jameis Winston has regained his gunslinger form with throwing for 1,680 yards, 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions over the past five weeks. Wide receiver Jerry Jeudy also recorded a whopping 235 yards receiving in the Browns’ 41-32 loss to the Denver Broncos on Monday night. Overall, the Browns racked up 522 yards offense against Denver.
The Steelers defense is well-aware of what the Browns offense is capable of.
“They put up over 500 yards just a couple days ago, so they’re definitely humming at the right levels. They have playmakers at every level,” Steelers All-Pro defensive tackle Cam Heyward said. “So we have to be on our P’s and Q’s. They’ve just grown a lot with having Jameis at the helm and he’s slicing and dicing right now.”
“We just got to continue to get after him,” Highsmith added on getting pressure on Winston. “He throws it a lot and he’s a heck of a talent. There’s a reason he was the first pick in the draft. We just got to get after him.”
The Steelers are 6.5-point favorites against Cleveland.